admin

Millions of people across the world suffer from dental discolouration of varying degrees. Even those who practice proper oral hygiene such as brushing on a daily basis, flossing and visiting the dentist regularly may find factors such as food and other environmental factors reduce the natural radiance of their teeth. Fortunately, teeth whitening is an incredibly effective way to do away with stains and discolouration and achieve a naturally white smile. Teeth whitening offers a safe, quick and non-invasive method of enhancing your pearly smile. Globally valued by both men and women, teeth whitening treatments are available to satisfy everyone’s budget, temperament and time frame. Irrespective of if you do it into your dentist office or at home using a bleaching kit, virtually everyone who tries teeth whitening experiences some sort of improvement. That said, it’s important to note that teeth whitening is not a permanent solution. It requires maintenance and some few touch-ups to prologue the effect. In this article, we are going to take an inside look at the teeth whitening procedure. Contents What is Teeth Whitening? History of Teeth Whitening Candidacy Teeth Whitening Options Professional Teeth Cleaning Other Professional Teeth Whitening Methods Poladay and Polanight At-Home Teeth Whitening Benefits of Teeth Whitening Bottom Line What is Teeth Whitening? Teeth whitening is the process lightening the teeth and removal of stains and discolouration. Teeth whitening is not a new practice in dentistry. However, it has significantly grown in popularity in recent times. Today, teeth whitening is one of the most requested dental procedures in modern dentistry. According to a research by the Australian Dental Association, almost 90% of dental patients were found to request teeth whitening treatment. Most people approach the dentist for the first time with teeth whitening as the primary motivator. A majority of these people are looking to improve their self-image, self-confidence and have a positive impact on their quality of life. Manypeople always desire a bright smile, good-looking white teeth is always viewed as a symbol of good oral health to many people. History of Teeth Whitening Attempts to lightening teeth or change their colour date back to the ancient times. The Gauls, Romans and some other ancient tribes used urine as a mouth rinse to try and lighten their teeth. The first teeth bleaching exercise was tried in the year 1864. There were various materials that were used to try and brighten the teeth. Some of these materials include oxalic acid, hydrogen peroxide and sodium hypochlorite. Some were used alone while others were combined with other materials. Some were used with heat activation while others were not. Today, the field of teeth whitening has grown due to advanced technology, dentists have come up with better and effective teeth whitening options. Candidacy Teeth whitening is a low-risk simple procedure, and therefore it’s suitable for a broad range of people. Typically, good candidates for teeth whitening have mild to moderate discolouration and they are looking to achieve a white smile. However, there are some few factors that may limit one from undergoing teeth whitening process. These include: Patients with intrinsic Stains Intrinsic stains are white spots, grey discolouration or discolouration that results from a dead tooth root. Intrinsic stains affect the underlying layers of the tooth. Teeth whitening procedures work best for extrinsic stains (the brown and yellow stains) that affects the enamel. However, when you have intrinsic teeth discolouration, you can talk to your dentist for advanced teeth whitening procedures that can get rid of intrinsic discolouration. Patients with Restorations or Fabrications on the Front Teeth Unlike natural teeth, restorations or fabrications such as dental crowns, porcelain veneers and dental bonding does not respond to bleaching agents. This is because restorations such as crowns and bridges are made from inorganic materials that are immune to effects of teeth whitening. If you choose to go ahead with teeth whitening while you have such restoratives, some part of your teeth that is comprised of natural teeth will appear brighter than the parts with restorations. This will result to uneven teeth colour. Patients With Tempo mandibular Joint Disorder or Bruxism Teeth whitening options such as whitening trays may worsen such conditions. Patients with such conditions and wish to whiten their teeth should visit their dentist for an in-office whitening. Patients With Worn Enamel or Extreme Tooth Sensitivity Teeth whitening for patients with such condition may worsen them. Teeth Whitening Options There are so many products and techniques available for people looking to achieve a brighter and whiter smile. With so many options available, it can be a doubting task to choose the most appropriate method for you. The best way to start your teeth whitening journey is by visiting your dentist and discuss the available option. Depending on the current condition of your teeth, your dentist will be in a position to suggest the best method for you. When it comes to teeth whitening, there are two broad categories available. These categories include professional teeth whitening and at home, teeth whitening. Here is a brief discussion about each method and the procedures involved. Professional Teeth Cleaning This is the type of teeth whitening that is performed under the care of a dentist. Patients first undergo adental examination to determine if they are good candidates of the procedure. The dentist will judge if you are a good candidate depending on your dental history and details regarding your teeth sensitivity. Professional teeth cleaning is also sometimes referred as one-hour in-office whitening. This method is best for people who run a busy schedule and cannot be able to get time for at-home whitening. Here is a brief look at the procedure: Initial Consultation Before the dentist can start performing any whitening procedure, he or she needs to first ensure that you are ready. Your dentist will conduct a quick exam of both your teeth and gums to ensure that they are healthy enough for whitening. He will also check if you have any restorations such as dental crowns and

Whether it’s through trauma, injury, old age or it’s simply because of not taking proper care of your dental health, losing teeth is perhaps a more common occurrence than you think. Whilst incidences of losing teeth through old age have significantly reduced since the 1970’s due to improved healthcare, incidences of tooth loss do still occur. If you have experience tooth loss and haven’t done anything to replace them, it can be tempting to try and eat without them. This may be enticing and after some time, you may even turn to be great at it. While this may seem helpful for you, eating without teeth or any tooth replacement option such as dentures may be risky to your mouth and body as well. Many may underestimate the importance of teeth especially if they are only missing a tooth or two and simply eat without them. Whilst this may appear helpful and even develop some skills for it over time, you may be causing some irreversible damage to yourself. This article will discuss all that you need to know about the effects of eating without teeth or dentures. Contents Risks of Eating Without Teeth or Dentures What Can You Do? What are dentures? What sort of dentures do I need? Types of Dentures Implant-assisted dentures Partial dentures Getting Dentures for the First Time How to take care of your dentures Bottom Line Risks of Eating Without Teeth or Dentures Pressure on Gums and Jaw When you to try and bite your food without teeth or any replacement, your jaw and gums will need to work extra hard to ensure that the food is properly chewed for easy swallowing. Natural teeth have a bite force of about 200 to 250 pounds of constrain while dentures have a bite force of about 50 pounds. This means that dentures have a way less bite force compared to natural teeth but they are definitely better than nothing. When you continue to chew your food without teeth or dentures, your gums and jaw will start to become irritated from having to work harder to chew food. Even softer foods that did not seem to give you any problems to chew will also start to irritate your gums and jaw. This can lead to infected gums and TMJ. The jawbone will slowly start to deteriorate since it will have to undertake an additional task that was initially done by the teeth. The deterioration process is also as a result of lack of support and pressure that it used to get from the teeth. Without this pressure, the jawbone will become weak and may even fracture in the long run. Sure, there are quite a number of soft foods you can eat and there are good if you have no teeth. However, these foods are not meant to be taken for a long period of time. You can only take them for a short period such as the period between tooth extraction and when the dentures are ready. Bone Loss Bone loss can occur if you persistently eat without teeth or dentures or any other teeth replacement options such as implants for a long time. Using your gums to chew may start wearing off the corresponding bone ridges of the jawline. Every time you chew without teeth, the ridge experiences some pressure that it was not used to. This kind of pressure will cause the jawbone to eventually recede and thus resulting in a permanent bone loss. To add insult to the injury, the severe bone loss may prevent you to receive some teeth replacement options such as dental implants since they require stable bone structure for support. Gastrointestinal Issues The digestive system is a complex system that requires different organs to function properly for it to effectively serve its purpose. The entire process starts right from the mouth. Not chewing food properly may disrupt the process and may lead to some complications into the digestive tract. When the food is not chewed properly and you are forced to swallow large particles of food, you may experience incomplete digestion. Large particles of food will make it difficult for the colon to digest food and limits the body’s ability to absorb some important nutrients. Additionally, such large particles of food can become fodder for bacteria because of incomplete digestion. This can lead to the growth of bacteria, flatulence and indigestion symptoms. Chewing food properly is also connected to smooth movement of food through the digestive tract. Saliva from the chewing process will help in relaxing the pylorus (a small muscle at the lower end of the stomach). This helps in allowing the food to pass into the ileum and through the digestive tract. Chewing is also the first process that signals the rest of the digestive system that digestion can now start. It stimulates the taste buds to send a message to the stomach so that it can start releasing some acids necessary for food digestion. It also stimulates the pancreas to start releasing the necessary enzymes that will aid in digestion. Lack of Enough Saliva Production Saliva plays a very integral role in the digestive process. It helps in lubricating the food for easy swallowing and movement down the digestive tract. It also contains an enzyme known as amylase which helps in digestion of starch in the mouth. The salivary glands are stimulated to produce saliva by proper chewing of food. This is something that cannot be effectively done if you are trying to chew with missing teeth. Improper Enzymes Production The other problem with chewing food without teeth or dentures is that there will be the improper production of enzymes that assist in the digestive system. Enzymes are necessary for the effective breakdown of food. When you chew food properly, the taste receptors will send a message to your lower digestive system to start releasing the required enzyme for digestion. If by any chance the chewing process is impaired in any way, the taste receptors